(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to agricultural irrigation and more particularly to handles for Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) pipe. Farm laborers are those having ordinary skill in the art.
(2) Description of the Related Art
In row crop irrigation, normally water is supplied by a pipe running along one end of the rows. A gate or valve is provided for each crop row. Normally, when the water is supplied to the pipes, certain of the gates are opened to water certain rows. As soon as the crop rows in one area are watered, the pipe is moved to another area to water another area. Normally, the pipe joints are about 20' in length, although, they may be different lengths.
At one time, aluminum pipe was the major material used for row crop irrigation for agriculture. The aluminum pipes often had handles attached to them about half way between the ends so they could be easily picked up and moved.
At the present time, PVC pipe is the preferred and more common pipe used. PVC pipe is preferred because of its durability and light weight. A major impediment to the use of PVC pipe is the difficulty in providing a handle. Without a handle the joints of pipe are bulky and unwieldy to move. Since they are used in irrigation, the pipes will be wet, muddy, and slick to handle. One way of moving the pipe is to insert one or two fingers into one of the gates in the pipe and pick it up in that fashion. However, it is necessary to use the other hand or arm to steady or stabilize the pipe, inasmuch as it is difficult to control with one or two fingers in different holes. For that reason, some farmers have not completely converted from using aluminum pipe inasmuch as with the handles on aluminum pipe, the farmer could carry as many as four joints of pipe holding two handles in each hand, as compared to carrying only one joint of PVC pipe.
Some efforts have been made to place handles on PVC pipe. In at least one situation, efforts have been made to attach an aluminum handle by screws or bolts to a PVC saddle and the PVC saddle then glued to the pipe. However, this has proved unsatisfactory because of the difficulty associated with attaching an aluminum handle to the saddle. Self-tapping screws do not function well within the PVC. If a hole is drilled through the saddle, then it is necessary that the hole be counter-sunk so that the saddle can be fit flush against the pipe for purposes of gluing. Countersinking the holes will weaken the PVC saddle.